COVID-19 deaths in Russia hit record for fifth straight day as lockdown looms

A federal jury on Friday convicted Lev Parnas, a one-time associate of Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, of violating US campaign finance laws during the 2018 elections.

Jamaica will extradite a former Colombian military member implicated in the assassination offormer Haiti President Jovenel Moise to Port-au-Prince, Colombia's police chief said on Friday.

Colonialism has permeated patriarchy across regions and its legacy continues today through laws, policies and practices that deny or restrict sexual and reproductive rights and criminalise gender diverse identities and consensual adult same-sex acts, explains Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng.

Beijing warned Slovakia and the Czech Republic on Friday that nobody should harbour any illusions about the "necessary measures" China will take to defend its sovereignty, ahead of a visit to both countries next week by Taiwan's foreign minister.

The United States would come to Taiwan's defense and has a commitment to defend the island China claims as its own, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday, though the White House said later there was no change in policy towards the island.

Melbourne residents flocked to the city's pubs, restaurants and hair salons in the early hours of Friday after the world's most locked-down city emerged from its latest spate of restrictions designed to combat the spread of COVID-19.

New Zealand's Prime Minister,Jacinda Ardern, paused briefly as an earthquake rattled the capital Wellington on Friday while she was addressing the nation in a coronavirus briefing, but then continued speaking.

Myanmar has spiraled into civil war following a military coup, the outgoing UN special envoy on Myanmar said on Thursday, warning that the chance to return to democracy is disappearing and signaling that further targeted sanctions could be helpful.

A group of Afghan women urged the United Nations to block the Taliban from gaining a seat at the world body, calling for better representation for their country during a visit to the organisation's New York headquarters on Thursday.

A memorial service will be held for Colin Powell on November 5 at the Washington National Cathedral, a spokesperson for the former US Secretary of State said on Thursday.

Floods unleashed by days of unseasonal heavy rain have killed at least 46 people and 11 were missing, India's Interior Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday (October 21).

European Union leaders will pile pressure on their Polish counterpart on Thursday over a court ruling that questioned the primacy of European laws in a sharp escalation of ideological battles that risk precipitating a new crisis for the bloc.

NATO defence ministers are set to agree a new master plan on Thursday to defend against any potential Russian attack on multiple fronts, reasserting a bid to deter Moscow despite the alliance's new focus on China, diplomats and officials said.

Brazilian senators accused President Jair Bolsonaro for "crimes against humanity."

Millions in Melbourne are readying to come out of the world's longest COVID-19 lockdown on Thursday night after Victoria state hit a key vaccination target, with pubs, restaurants and cafes racing to reopen their doors to fully vaccinated customers.

North Korea said on Thursday the United States was overreacting to its recent missile test and questioned the sincerity of Washington's offers of talks, warning of consequences.

The United States has offered to meet North Korea without preconditions and made clear that Washington has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Wednesday as the Security Council met over North Korea's latest missile launch.

The Biden administration on Wednesday outlined its plan to vaccinate millions of kids ages 5 to 11 as soon as the COVID-19 shot is approved for younger children, readying doses and preparing locations ahead of the busy holiday season.

China reported a fourth day of new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in a handful of cities across China, prompting alarmed local governments to double down on efforts to track potential carriers amid the country's zero-tolerance policy.

The work of US and Canadian missionaries kidnapped in Haiti over the weekend included helping rebuild homes following an August earthquake on the island, according to their Ohio-based organisation that has aid projects all over the world.

North Korea said it had test-fired a new ballistic missile from a submarine, state media reported on Wednesday, a day after authorities in South Korea and Japan detected an apparent weapons test.

The United Nations Security Council has been called on to use its leverage to give new breathing space to new thinking that is peace-oriented and rights-respecting and that moves parties past the current impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

North Korea fired one ballistic missile off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, as Seoul opens a major arms fair, spy chiefs meet to discuss the nuclear standoff, and South Korea prepares to launch a space rocket.

The US State Department's inspector general will review the end of the Biden administration's diplomatic operations in Afghanistan, including the emergency evacuation of the US embassy in Kabul, a spokesperson said on Monday.

The United States will not join international talks on Afghanistan organised by Russia this week due to logistical reasons, but is open to participating in the future, the State Department said on Monday.

Tributes are continuing to pour in for former Republican US Secretary of State Colin Powell who died of COVID-19 related complications

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state and top military officer, died on Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from COVID-19. He was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement on Facebook.

Colin Powell, the first black US secretary of state and top military officer, died on Monday at the age of 84 from COVID-19 complications, his family said in a statement.

At least 22 people were killed after heavy rains lashed the south Indian state of Kerala over the weekend, officials said.

The Burmese junta leader said on Monday that the ruling military is committed to peace and democracy, and that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should take into account the provocations and violence perpetrated by its opponents.